So many stories are stretched out into a series nowadays. What happened to the standalone?

[C.C.]

Its a similar model nowadays for films too. Easier for authors to build their careers upon a series instead of books that are completely separate. Standalone books are less risky gambles when the author has an established brand/fanbase. A good example is A. G. Riddle. His standalone book Departure sold like crazy after his Origin Trilogy broke bank.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Florence wrote: "Yep, I was amazed to find that today a writer can make a modest living writing short sci-fi. And this after changing from short stories to novels because that was all I thought would actually make ..."

Not all writers do well in both mediums. Some are talented with short works, some with novels, and fewer with both. That said, I do like that today author's have a broader choice in length of works. Much better than cutting or padding so much it alters what was a good story.

For me, it needs to be a mostly contained "story" even when I can tell there's more to the backstory, more to come, or that it's part of a more complicated "universe." I usually prefer longer books but I do like some shorter works. Even very good short stories where I have no problem with the writing and enjoyed tend to leave me thinking "that's it?" when they end. But, with some authors, whoa, can they write short fiction. Because of some very enjoyed short works I am perennially checking out new anthologies and skimming magazines. Sometimes when a favorite short story author writes a novel the chapters seem almost like individual short stories,

I'm not at all fond of the trend to do short works that are just excerpts or that are clearly just material an editor had an author cut/rewrite in the published book version. Again, just needs to be a "story.". Extra material cut or rewritten usually did need to be cut. There are some series I'm sorry ended where I do bite at their new stories — I'm no doubt even harder on them because they need to be a story in themselves plus they need to add something to a beloved series. And to not have a "teaser" description worse than the teasers for network news where it leads you to believe you are getting overage of something really interested in only to get a brief sentence ...

[F.J.]

I enjoy reading either. Just like I enjoy watching series of movies and standalone movies. Haven't come across any situations where the series turned out to be one book stretched to make multiple books, though I suspect I would rather avoid such situations.

I am wary of series that seem to go on and on and on, unless it's multiple series set in the same Universe, with clear stopping points. Such is what I've set out to do. I've got my Draconia series (3 books with a 4th planned), working on a standalone that's set in the same Universe, and have several different series either in stasis or planned.